


bent, not broken

by bespokenboy



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Catboy AU, Domestic Fluff, Future Fic-ish, M/M, catboy hinata, semi-canon, very very brief mention of character death (not of any major characters)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-15
Updated: 2015-03-15
Packaged: 2018-03-18 01:50:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3551570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bespokenboy/pseuds/bespokenboy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Oikawa is rather easily flustered, not that he would ever admit it to anyone—certainly not to a small, tomato-stealing catboy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	bent, not broken

Oikawa has always been good with his hands. He learned from his father how to fix busted drawers, sputtering car engines, and faulty radiators. He fiddled around on his own with broken radios and flickering lamps, honing his repair skills until what he practiced was no longer a craft, but an art. 

A human, however, is not a gadget to be fixed. When his mother was close to the end of her life, Oikawa realized that there were things that neither he, nor even his father, could restore to mint condition. After she was returned to the earth, Oikawa noticed a startling change in his father. They were both broken with grief, but Oikawa managed, somehow, to return to a normal pace of life. His father, however, pitched into manic periods of violence, followed by listless indolence. Something inside of him had become permanently unhinged, crippling his ability to function normally, let alone run his repair shop. 

At an age where Oikawa’s neighborhood friends were breaking away from their childhood homes to seek freedom and independence, Oikawa was stuck behind the counter of his father’s repair shop. He had grown tall enough that he no longer had to tiptoe in order to reach the tools hanging in the cabinets, but Oikawa couldn’t help but feel that there were so many more ways in which he could still grow. If only he had the chance to. But it was his responsibility, as an only child, to maintain the family business. 

When his father succumbed to the brokenness in his limbs and in his heart, Oikawa was left with nothing but his father's business, a cabinet full of tools, and a modest flat above the repair shop. 

"There you go, good as new!"

Oikawa winds the key fixed to the back of the clockwork robot. The twin boys on the other side of the counter gasp in awe as they watch the toy tick across the wooden surface. Their father chuckles at their delighted squeals and ruffles their hair. 

"Thanks for taking an emergency appointment, Oikawa. The boys were fighting over the present Uncle Kindaichi got them for their birthday, and this was the collateral damage." Playfully pinching his sons' ears, Iwaizumi pretends to growl, "I don't know what you two rascals expected!"

"Appointment? You make me sound like a doctor or something, Iwa-chan." 

"Well, you certainly have been a life saver for lots of people in town!"

"I'm flattered, but it's not really a fair comparison. I don't fix people, only things."

"Oikawa, um, you haven't been over for dinner in a while. Mimi's been asking about you, and I'm sure she'd love to have you over tonight. How about it?"

"Thanks for the offer, Iwa-chan, but I don't want to intrude too often–"

"No, you're not intruding, we love having you over!"

"Really, it's okay!" Oikawa insists. He knows that Iwaizumi is offering partly out of pity and partly because he wants to make sure that Oikawa eats a hearty meal once in awhile. "I actually have some nice ripe tomatoes in my garden that are begging to be picked, and they'll go bad if I don't eat them tonight!"

"A-are you sure? I mean, it's really no trouble for you to have dinner with us..."

"Iwa-chan, don't make a big deal out of nothing," Oikawa says with exasperation. "I appreciate your invitation, but tonight just isn't a good night, and I apologize."

"Fine. I'll let you off the hook this time, but don't forget about the neighborhood volleyball match this weekend. I don't want to hear any lame excuses, alright?"

"Of course," Oikawa laughs. "I'll be there, don't worry. I'm not a hermit, Iwa-chan. Not like you were in high school before you finally got a girlfriend."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say," Iwaizumi grumbles. "Come on, boys. It's time to go home. Thanks again, Tooru!"

"Thank you Oikawa-san!" the boys chirp in chorus before the bells above the store entrance tinkle, and Oikawa is alone once more. 

Nobody worries about Oikawa more than Iwaizumi, and Oikawa finds it incredible that his best friend from high school still has enough room in his heart for Oikawa. 

He hums to himself as he files away his tools once more. But the sound is canned, absorbed by the walls around him in a way that reminds Oikawa of just how alone he is. He's gotten used to living alone, but in many ways, he still hasn't quite gotten the hang of it yet. 

Appearances above all, Oikawa reminds himself. No matter how broken he feels on the inside, he must always wear a smile for the outside world. 

He changes into a pair of faded blue jeans, so worn that the stiff denim now hangs soft and loose against his skin. Most of his possessions are like this. Some would call his wardrobe dated, but Oikawa thinks of his clothing as well-loved. His television and radio are both almost a decade old—prehistoric in terms of technology, but why throw something out if it still functions perfectly well? Maybe it's stinginess or perhaps it's sentimentality, but Oikawa never gets rid of anything that is still salvageable. 

The moonlight washes out all the color in his backyard, making his flowers glow silvery in the evening gloom. Besides the proximity to the repair store, the garden is one of the most compelling reasons why Oikawa chose to keep the same flat he grew up in. 

Almost all his favorite childhood memories involve tending to the garden with his mother. During the most desolate months of winter, Oikawa closes his eyes and remembers the feeling of thick, loamy soil between his toes and sunlight kissing the back of his neck as he pulls whiskery carrots from the earth and plucks warty cucumbers from their vines. He still finds comfort in the crushed mint smell of summer evenings, crouching amongst herbs and vegetables. 

Oikawa's stomach grumbles in anticipation as he thinks about the heavy, succulent tomatoes clinging to the trellis he built himself. He had spent years perfecting his technique and the past couple months cultivating the plants in his garden. He whistles to himself as he meanders into his backyard. But when he reaches the trellis, almost half of his tomatoes are gone. 

"Ehh?!" he exclaims. His fingertips twitch, as he glances around his garden. His tomatoes had certainly been there when he watered them that morning. 

In the dim moonlight, Oikawa spots a tuft of orange more vibrant than the crimson tomatoes peeking out from behind the trellis. He stares at the fiery patch and slowly kneels on the ground, wondering what kind of animal would steal over a dozen tomatoes. 

He screams involuntarily when he realizes that a pair of large copper eyes are staring back at him. Before he can process what's going on, an ungodly yowl pierces the quiet, and the trellis is toppling over as the creature flails in its escape. 

Somehow, the creature manages to get itself tangled in the vines and wooden beams, face-planting into overripe tomatoes. Oikawa approaches slowly, his eyes skimming over the creature's body—the form that he begins to recognize is human. An orange mess of hair, shoulder blades jutting sharply out of the smooth planes of his back, hands by his sides, and...a tail. 

Oikawa's eyes widen when he realizes that a tail is protruding from the figure's tailbone, sleek with fur the same brilliant hue as his hair. A catboy. He has heard of the existence of such creatures, but neither he nor anyone he knows has ever been able to confirm it. Upon closer examination, there are two prominent tufts on top of his head poking out from the catboy's disheveled hair. His ears. 

"Are...are you alright?" Oikawa asks tentatively. He holds his breath and waits for a response, but all he hears is a muffled whimper. 

His hand hovers an inch above the catboy's shoulder as he deliberates over his next action. Should he try to communicate with the creature or should he go ahead and pull him out of this mess? Somehow, Oikawa has all but forgotten about his precious tomato plants. If this catboy is injured, it is Oikawa’s responsibility to help him. 

The soft whimpering snaps into a hiss when Oikawa gently grips the catboy by the shoulder. He barely catches a glimpse of the feral look in the catboy's eyes before he feels a sharp, stabbing pain on his arm. 

Recoiling, he demands, "Did you just bite me?!"

The catboy hisses and glares at Oikawa, but he doesn't move, and Oikawa realizes that his left ankle and tail are both caught in the wooden lattice. There are scratches and bruises all over his body, but some of them look at least a few days old. 

Oikawa says in a softer, more soothing voice, "Are you hurt? I can clean your scratches if...if that's okay with you."

He waits as the catboy averts his eyes as though in consideration. His heart leaps when he hears the answer. "Just help me get out."

"S-sure! Tell me if I'm hurting you."

The catboy grunts in assent, and clings onto Oikawa as he is lifted from the tangle of vines and wood. 

"You can put me down now," the catboy demands. 

"But...I can't. You're still holding on to me, kitty-chan."

"Fine," the catboy scowls. He tries leaping out of Oikawa's arms, but he lands awkwardly and stumbles, crying out in pain. 

"Are you alright?" Oikawa asks, wondering how it is even possible for someone to hurt himself so many times within only a few minutes. 

"I'm...fine..." he huffs as he tries to crawl to his escape. 

Even in the dim moonlight, Oikawa can see the inflamed swell of the catboy's ankle, probably twisted from one of his falls. 

"Do you want some ice for your ankle? It'll help you feel better. You shouldn't put any more strain on it."

The catboy grimaces as he weighs his options. The pain must be close to unbearable, because he nods and allows himself to be scooped up once more, and Oikawa carries him to the building through the back entrance. 

The exterior of the building hardly matches up with its interior. From the outside, it appears to be just another space-efficient construction that has seen better days. The structure is stout, but sturdy, and the red brick is darkened by grime. The inside, however, is bright and welcoming, as Oikawa devotes himself to maintaining a clean and tidy both customers and house guests. Not that Oikawa has many personal visitors. He mostly keeps to himself, even despite Iwaizumi's pleas for him to go out on a date once in awhile. 

"Let's get you bathed first, how does that sound, kitty-chan?" Oikawa asks the catboy in his arms. "You'll feel a lot better after a quick bath."

"Bath?"

"Yes, bath. That's when you get in this thing called a bathtub, and you're doused in soap and bubbles–"

"I know what a bath is!" the catboy snaps. "I don't want a bath."

"Why not?"

"I'm not a housecat! I don't need to take baths!"

"Well, you're not coming into my house covered in dirt and tomato guts!" He adds more gently, "So can you cooperate with me? Please?"

The catboy's forehead wrinkles into a displeased frown, but he nods begrudgingly. The tomato juice is sticky and unpleasant against his skin, and the guy holding him seems actually not too bad, even if he is trying to give him a bath. 

"Good boy!" Oikawa praises. "Do you have a name, kitty-chan?"

"Hinata. Hinata Shouyou."

"Well, Shouyou-chan, you can just call me Oikawa-san! But don't forget the san!"

Hinata stares at him for a few seconds, and then bursts into laughter. 

"What's so funny, Shouyou-chan?" Oikawa asks. His heart seizes at the sound of Hinata's bright, bubbling laughter—unlike any he has ever heard before. 

"You're kind of weird, Oikawa."

"There should be a suffix in there."

Between the bantering and giggling, Hinata hardly even notices Oikawa filling the bath until he's being lowered into the tub. He yelps and clutches onto Oikawa's shirt, wrapping his tail around Oikawa's waist to avoid the water. 

"What do you think you're doing, kitty-chan? Don't be silly, the faster you get bathed, the faster this will all be over with!"

Hinata reluctantly steps into the water, but his arms are still around Oikawa's shoulders, so he promptly pulls Oikawa into the bath with him. 

"H-hey!" Oikawa sputters. "What was that for?"

"So you can suffer with me!" Hinata beams. 

Wiping droplets of water from his eyes, Oikawa tells him, "You could have just asked me normally! I wouldn't have said no."

"Wait...really?"

"Sure," Oikawa grins. "But now my clothes are all wet."

"Sorry..."

"It's okay. Just hold still for a few minutes while I wash your hair, okay?"

Oikawa tosses his water-saturated clothing over the side of the bathtub. They land with a heavy, wet thud on the floor, and Oikawa realizes that this is the kind of situation Iwaizumi probably faces everyday. It's probably worse for Hajime, since he has two sons to watch after. 

But if this is what it's like to take care of someone else, it might not be half-bad. Besides, Hinata is surprisingly cute, even though he has a propensity for causing trouble. 

He runs his fingers through Hinata's hair and thinks of flames. Being this close to Hinata makes Oikawa feel as though he's been sitting too long in direct sunlight. Already he's tired from keeping up with Hinata, but it's a pleasant kind of tired, one that comes from taking on a challenge. 

"Close your eyes, kitty-chan, I'm going to rinse the shampoo out."

"Don't call me kitty-chan," Hinata grumps. 

"Only if you call me Oikawa-san~"

"Fine...Oikawa-san."

"Good boy," Oikawa murmurs, and Hinata looks down, hiding his blush. 

Streams of suds and water slide down Hinata's cheeks, until his hair is a dark, wet red plastered to his head and the back of his neck. He sits obediently in Oikawa's lap as he scrubs Hinata with soap and a washcloth from head to toe. He hisses a little when Oikawa cleans his open cuts, but he clutches onto Oikawa's fingers until he calms down. 

"Almost done," Oikawa tells him. "You've been such a good boy, let's just get you nice and dry."

Hinata squirms and giggles when Oikawa dries him off with a fluffy white towel. And then Hinata is bundled up in the towel with his arms flattened to his sides as Oikawa blows his hair dry. 

"That's really noisy!" Hinata complains over the whirr of the blow dryer. 

"Not as noisy as you!" Oikawa shouts back. 

The catboy's hair is even more brilliant when it's clean and dry, fiery but soft like Hinata himself. He is feral one moment, but docile the next, unpredictable and ever-changing like a dancing flame. 

The next challenge is to sanitize Hinata's wounds with rubbing alcohol, which Hinata takes less than kindly to. It stings, but Hinata manages the pain by biting on Oikawa's shoulder until he is finished. And then Hinata is wrapped in bandages and gauze until he resembles a mummy and all of his cuts are protected. 

An old shirt of Oikawa's hangs loose on Hinata's narrow frame as Oikawa carries him to his guest futon. He settles Hinata onto the cushions and retrieves an ice pack from the freezer. Hinata's swollen ankle is no longer as inflamed, but he's still in no condition to walk. Oikawa pulls Hinata's foot onto his lap and gently presses the ice to his ankle. 

"I used to do this a lot in high school," Oikawa mentions conversationally. "Ice my ankle, I mean. I twisted my ankle playing volleyball, but I never gave it the chance to fully heal."

"Why not, Oikawa-san?" Hinata asks. Oikawa seems to take such care in helping Hinata's injuries heal, it makes him wonder why he couldn't take care of himself. 

Oikawa smiles sadly and tells him, "Because I loved volleyball too much. And I was pretty damn good at it, too."

"Are you just bragging?" Hinata asks accusingly. 

"Of course not, kitty-chan!" Oikawa protests. He adds proudly, "I was the team captain. And I didn't ever want to let my team down."

"Wow, that's...that's so awesome, Oikawa-san!!!"

The sparkles in Hinata's eyes catch Oikawa by surprise. "You think so?" Oikawa asks. 

"Yeah! Team captains are so cool!!!" Hinata sits up and starts punching the air in excitement. 

"You know anything about volleyball and captains?"

"I've watched volleyball on the television! I've never had the chance to play any volleyball, though. My owner never let me play sports or anything fun."

"Your...owner?" Oikawa asks, feeling his heart sink. "Did you run away from home?"

Hinata's ears flatten in guilt, and he mumbles, "It was so boring staying at home all the time. I hated it. I'm not a house cat!"

"Hinata, if there’s someone out there looking for you to bring you back home…”

“No!” Hinata insists vehemently. “I don’t want to go back. It wasn’t a home at all, I was never allowed to have any fun.”

He grabs fistfuls of Oikawa’s shirt and stares him down. Oikawa recognizes the wild look of desperation in Hinata's eyes. It's a look that Oikawa has seen staring back at him from his own reflection. 

"You...really want to run away from home, don't you, Shouyou-chan."

Hinata clutches even more tightly at the fabric between his fingers and nods. 

"I know how you feel," Oikawa sighs. "I've wanted to run away, too."

Hinata tilts his head quizzically. "Then why didn't you, Oikawa-san?"

"I had nowhere to go."

"Well I do!" Hinata chirps. "I have somewhere to go, I mean."

"Oh? And where is that?"

"Tokyo!" Hinata answers confidently. 

Oikawa laughs in disbelief. "You know who you remind me of, Shouyou-chan?”

“Who?”

“Myself. It’s almost ridiculous how much you sound like me when I was in high school. I was always telling people that I would play volleyball in Tokyo someday. I was so confident that I would make it to a national stage, or an even bigger stage. But I never quite made it out of my hometown.”

“Then why don’t you come with me, Oikawa-san? If you’ve always wanted to go to Tokyo?”

“It’s...not the same thing, Shouyou-chan. I don’t know what you’re looking for in Tokyo, but there’s nothing there for me anymore. It might have been my dream once, but...I don’t even know what my dream is anymore.”

Hinata pinches Oikawa’s cheeks and pushes them upwards. “Why do you sound so sad, Oikawa-san? You’re a nice person, so why are you talking that way about yourself, like you’ve given up or something?”

“You talk as if you know me,” Oikawa laughs bitterly, because Hinata is entirely too acute in his assessment of Oikawa. 

“That’s true, but...you said it yourself, Oikawa-san. I also think we’re alike! And I know that if I was you, even if it seemed that things were hopeless, I would secretly want to do something about it! Like when I heard about this hybrid shelter in Tokyo, I knew that there were people out there who could help me, and I would just have to take the first step for myself! And even though you think it’s too late to for you to play volleyball in Tokyo, don’t you think at least visiting would be better than staying here for the rest of your life and thinking about how it’s too late and what could have been?”

His words come out in a breathless rush, leaving Oikawa speechless. Hinata did not strike him as particularly keen, given his choice of hiding spot in Oikawa's garden and the series of bumbling accidents that followed. Even so, it seems that both Hinata and Oikawa have an instinctual understanding of each other, one that is equally chilling and comforting. 

Hinata leans in closer and stares intently when Oikawa doesn't respond. When the tips of their noses nearly brush, Oikawa finally looks away. 

"You really want me to come with you to Tokyo, don't you," he mutters. 

Hinata nods without breaking his gaze. 

"Fine," Oikawa sighs. "I'll come with you. Just know that I'll have to close my shop, which means a cut in my income. Not to mention travel expenses."

"It's not like you have a lady human to spend your money on!"

Oikawa flicks Hinata's ear, earning him a scowl. But he says kindly, "Are you hungry? We can talk about this shelter of yours over dinner."

Hinata nods eagerly and licks his lips. "I'm so hungry, I haven't had anything but tomatoes all day!"

"That's right," Oikawa says, narrowing his eyes. "You ate all my tomatoes."

"Not all of them!" Hinata's eyes widen beseechingly, but Oikawa's sour expression doesn't budge. "I'm sorry!" he cries, burying his face into the crook of Oikawa's neck. "They were so yummy, I couldn't stop eating them! I'm so sorry, Oikawa-san!"

Hinata looks up when he feels low chuckles rumbling in Oikawa's chest. 

"I forgive you, Shouyou-chan." Oikawa rubs the space between Hinata's ears to show him that there are no hard feelings. "Don't worry about it, there are still plenty of vegetables left in my garden. You're free to help yourself. If you ever come back to visit, I mean."

Hinata's face lights up with a blinding grin. "Thank you, Oikawa-san!" he squeaks, and he leans in to lick Oikawa's face in gratitude. 

"Y-you're welcome, Shouyou-chan," Oikawa stammers, completely thrown off by Hinata's affectionate gesture. "Just...please don't lick me again. Please."

"You didn't like it?" Hinata's face falls into such a pitiful expression that Oikawa feels his own heart starting to break. "I'm sorry–"

"No! I mean, it's not that I hated it, but...humans don't lick each other's faces. I'm not trying to force you into acting more like a human, but I guess what I'm saying is that...I'm just not used to it?"

"Are you nervous or something, Oikawa-san?" Hinata giggles. "You're all pink!"

Oikawa is rather easily flustered, not that he would ever admit it to anyone—certainly not to a small, tomato-stealing catboy. 

"Of course not, kitty-chan! My cheeks are naturally this rosy."

"Whatever you say," Hinata smirks. "By the way, if you don't want me to lick your face, what do you want me to do instead?" 

"Well, um, usually humans hug each other. Or give each other kisses."

"Like this?" Hinata goes straight for the kiss, pressing his lips to Oikawa's flushed cheek. 

"Y-yeah," Oikawa breathes. "Like that."

It's already well past nightfall, and Oikawa is missing key ingredients, so he settles for making sandwiches instead of the vegetable stew he had been planning to cook. He spreads translucent grape jelly and creamy peanut butter across slices of white bread and aligns them together before slicing them into triangles, the way his mother used to. 

They eat on Oikawa's futon, though Oikawa is on high alert for crumbs tumbling onto the cushion. When he is finished, Hinata smiles sleepily at Oikawa and drapes himself across Oikawa's lap, falling asleep before Oikawa even has a chance to protest. 

He feels tenderly towards Hinata as he sleeps with his mouth a little open and eyelashes still wet. It's not until Oikawa's legs go numb from Hinata's weight that he finally nudges his shoulder to wake him up. 

"Shouyou-chan, I think it's time for bed," he murmurs. 

The catboy grumbles something unintelligible, but he clings to Oikawa's neck as he lifts him up to adjust the futon. Oikawa covers him with an airy sheet in case he gets chilly during the night and then kisses Hinata on the forehead, wishing him goodnight. 

 

Oikawa wakes up to Hinata crouching by his mattress and wearing a grin brighter than the sun itself.

“H-how long have you been sitting there?!” Oikawa yelps. His heart pounds wildly in his chest at the sight of the catboy. 

“Not too long!” Hinata beams. “My ankle is all better, look!”

He swings his foot up to show Oikawa and accidentally kicks Oikawa’s face in the process.

"Ah, sorry, Oikawa-san!" Hinata leans over to kiss the red blotch on Oikawa's cheek where his heel had just landed. "Is that better?"

He holds Oikawa's face in his hands and watches him with such concern in his eyes that Oikawa can't help but smile. 

"Just watch your...step next time, Shouyou-chan. I'm glad to hear that you're feeling better though."

Hinata nods solemnly and then starts bouncing with excitement as a new idea pops into his mind. 

"Since I'm okay now, that means we can go to Tokyo, right?" Without waiting for Oikawa's response, he asks, "When can we leave? Today?"

"Slow down for just a second," Oikawa laughs. "There are some things that need to be taken care of first before we can travel."

"Like what?" Hinata whines impatiently. 

"Well, I need to pack since we probably won't spend just one day in Tokyo. And I also have to make an announcement to let everyone know that I'll be out of town for a few days and my shop will be closed!"

"Got it!" Hinata nods affirmatively and turns around to bound towards Oikawa's bedroom window. He parts the blinds and lifts the hatch to holler, " _Good morning everyone! Oikawa-san's store is gonna be closed for the next few days while we visit Tokyo! Thank you!_ "

"Shouyou-chan! That's not how it works!"

"Then how?" Hinata pouts. 

"I'll just tell everyone that comes in today and ask them to spread the word."

"And that's gonna work?" Hinata asks skeptically. 

"Well, it's better than shouting it out the window!" Oikawa retorts. 

Hinata sniffs haughtily, and Oikawa ruffles his hair fondly. "I have to open shop in an hour, will you be okay up here by yourself!"

"I'll be fine, Oikawa-san! I'm used to staying at home by myself."

"Ahh...okay. You can watch television if you're bored, just don't watch too much, or else you'll get a headache."

"I won't!" he promises. "Your television is kinda crappy, anyways!"

"Don't say that so gleefully!"

The first person to enter Oikawa’s store that morning is, to Oikawa’s surprise, Iwaizumi. 

“You again?!” Oikawa exclaims. “Weren’t you just in here yesterday? And I see you’ve brought robot-kun with you again, too!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Iwaizumi grumbles. “I know we came here last night, but the boys started arguing over the toy again almost as soon as we got home. And of course, they ended up breaking it. Again. I didn’t have the heart to return last night, so I came back first thing this morning.”

“Kids,” Oikawa sighs, accepting the broken robot toy. He opens his toolbox and skims his fingers across the grooved barrels of his screwdriver collection. “They have a way of getting themselves into trouble, don’t they?”

“That’s right,” Iwaizumi chuckles. “They’re a hassle but–”

“You can’t help but love them,” Oikawa finishes, smiling fondly to himself.

“Hey, Tooru, have you ever wanted kids?” Iwaizumi asks, leaning across the counter. “I mean, not that it’s too late for you or anything, but… You know, I don’t think anyone ever really thought of you as a family kind of guy, but I think I disagree. You seem to be good with kids.”

“What gave you that idea, Iwa-chan?” Oikawa tries to keep his voice casual. Having a family is another one of his dreams that he’s all but forgotten about.

“Oh, I don’t know. You’ve always liked taking care of people.” Iwaizumi fixes him with a scrutinizing gaze and says, “Maybe it’s not my place to ask, but you can’t possibly enjoy living alone, do you?”

“Living alone has its charms,” Oikawa says airily, but it’s clear that Iwaizumi doesn’t buy into his excuse. “Anyways, if I was actually lonely, don’t you think I’d do something about it?”

“Maybe. Just...look after yourself, okay? There are a lot of people who care about you, so you shouldn’t ever feel like you have to handle everything on your own.”

“Thanks, Iwa-chan.” Oikawa smiles gently and hands the robot toy back to him. “Good as new.”

“I knew I could count on you, Tooru.” Iwaizumi claps Oikawa on the shoulder and reminds him, “And don’t forget about our volleyball match tonight...captain.”

“Iwa-chan...it’s been over five years.”

“I know,” Iwaizumi chuckles. “But for a lot of us, that was one of the most important years of our childhood. You’ll come, right? Kunimi and Kindaichi are back for summer vacation, and Watari said that he’s on board for a match. It’ll be like the good days. There’s no way you can’t come.”

“I guess I have no choice, then,” Oikawa murmurs. “See you tonight.”

“Damn right,” Iwaizumi grins.

Oikawa sprints back upstairs during his lunch break to check on Hinata, but the catboy is nowhere in sight. To be fair, it is difficult to find anything in Oikawa’s flat in its current condition. Though it had been spotless when he left it that morning, there are clothes, blankets, and towels scattered everywhere and draped over all of his furniture. 

He treads carefully, trying to avoid stepping on anything that might overthrow his balance. There is an especially pronounced lump of blankets on his bedroom floor that almost appears to be trembling. He pokes tentatively at the pile with his foot, and his toe comes into contact with something solid beneath the blankets.

“I wonder what this is,” he announces loudly. “I guess I’m just going to have to step on it–”

“No!” Hinata cries out, flinging away the blankets in alarm. He scampers towards Oikawa and wraps his arms around Oikawa’s legs. “Don’t step on me, please!”

“Hey, it’s okay! I wasn’t going to step on you, I promise!”

“I’m sorry!” Hinata wails, clutching tighter onto Oikawa. “I didn’t mean to make a mess, I was just trying to find clothes to help you pack, but then your closet just kind of exploded!”

“Is that so?” Oikawa laughs. He dislodges himself from Hinata’s grip and kneels down to hold the catboy in his arms. “Don’t worry about it, I forgive you. I know you didn’t do it on purpose.”

He rubs Hinata’s back until his frenetic fidgeting calms into contented purrs. 

“I’ll close shop early tonight, so we can just clean everything up together,” Oikawa says gently. “I’ll make lunch, and then we can go back down to the shop together so I can keep an eye on you.”

“Really?” Hinata asks with shining eyes.

“Absolutely,” Oikawa promises. “I was actually planning on closing early anyways, because I’ve got a volleyball match tonight.”

“Volleyball? Can I come watch?”

“Y-yeah! Sure!”

“Are you gonna be the captain again?”

“My boys seem to think so!”

“That’s so cool!” Hinata crows. “You’re so cool, Oikawa-san!”

“I’m glad you think so, Shouyou-chan,” Oikawa grins, tweaking Hinata’s ear.

Business is slow for the rest of the day, but no more slower than usual. The hours behind the counter go by much more quickly with Hinata by his side, buzzing with energy even during the sleepy afternoon lull. Whenever customers enter the store, Hinata greets them enthusiastically and introduces himself as “Oikawa-san’s assistant.” 

Oikawa had never told him to be his assistant—he had just instructed him to stay out of trouble, but Hinata is eager to fetch tools for Oikawa, and he watches intently as Oikawa fiddles around with broken gadgets and appliances. It almost makes Oikawa wish that Hinata could be a permanent fixture in his life, since being around each other is something they both undoubtedly enjoy. 

And then it’s time to lock the store and turn off the lights, just to face the even greater mess upstairs. Somehow, Hinata is still practically vibrating with energy even after a day’s work. It’s almost as if there are two Hinatas, the way that he dashes back and forth tossing clothes into drawers and towels into closets. Oikawa is worn out just by watching him.

“You didn’t have to clean everything up by yourself, Shouyou-chan,” Oikawa tells him when the space is neat and tidy once more.

“Oikawa-san needs to save his strength for the volleyball match tonight!” Hinata says firmly. 

“Come here, you,” Oikawa gushes, opening his arms for Hinata to leap into. He embraces him, lifting the catboy off his feet. “You’ll cheer for me tonight, right?”

“Yes!” Hinata promises. 

Eyebrows are raised at the sight of Oikawa arriving at the gymnasium with Hinata clutching onto his hand. Nobody comments, except for Iwaizumi, who kneels down to Hinata’s eye level and asks, “What’s your name?”

Hinata cowers and hides behind Oikawa who makes the introduction on Hinata’s behalf. 

“Hajime, this is Hinata Shouyou. He’s staying with me until...until I take him to an animal shelter in Tokyo.”

“Nice to meet you, Hinata-kun, I’m Iwaizumi Hajime.” Iwaizumi extends a hand for Hinata to shake, but the catboy just presses himself closer to Oikawa. “An animal shelter?” Iwaizumi whispers close to Oikawa’s ear.

“Well, hybrid shelter. He wants to,” Oikawa explains in a low voice.

“He seems to like you. Or, at least, he’s gotten attached to you.”

“I know,” Oikawa sighs.

Oikawa is met with enthusiastic greetings from his high school teammates, most of whom have hardly changed at all, in Oikawa’s eyes. Their match tonight is against some more familiar faces that Oikawa instantly recognizes, even though their last match together was half a decade ago.

“Sawamura,” Oikawa greets, clasping the other team captain’s hand before the match begins.

“It’s been awhile, Oikawa,” Sawamura Daichi grins back.

The match makes Oikawa remember how much he truly did love volleyball, how much he loves it still. He’s not as agile as he once was, and he can’t jump quite as high as he remembers being able to, but being on the court leaves him happy and breathless. Excitement pounds through his veins in a way he hasn’t experienced in a very long time. 

“That was so awesome!” Hinata yells on their walk home. “During that last point, the ball went over the net like _bwuuuaaahhh_ and you received it like _gwaaaahhhh!!_ Did you hear me cheering for you? I was like _UUOOOHHHHH!!!_ ”

“I certainly did hear you cheering for me, Shouyou-chan. It was a lot of fun, and I’m glad you had fun, too.”

“You’ll play more volleyball, right? You’re so cool when you’re on the court, Oikawa-san! You’re like...you’re like a king, or something!”

“A king, huh?” Oikawa chuckles. “I’m flattered, Shouyou-chan.”

“Not just a king!” Hinata adds excitedly. “A _grand_ king!”

“A grand king. I like the sound of that.” Oikawa ruffles Hinata’s hair and kisses the tip of his ear. 

 

Fields of green flash by before their eyes as they take a late morning train to Tokyo. Hinata watches the rolling landscape in awe, but Oikawa feels strangely uneasy the closer they approach to the city. His suitcase is tucked between his knees, and Hinata is tucked into the crook of his arm as he tries to protect his possessions and Hinata from the jostle of passengers entering and exiting the train. 

“Is that the Tokyo Tower?!” Hinata blurts out when a dark, looming structure comes into view.

“No, Shouyou-chan, that’s just a normal steel tower.”

“Oh.” Hinata’s ears flatten in disappointment, and Oikawa tickles his chin to see him smile again.

“I’ll take you to see the Tokyo Tower though, I promise.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, sure. We can spend our first day sight-seeing, and then we can look for the shelter on the second day.”

“Oh...right. The shelter.”

“Is there something wrong, Shouyou-chan?”

“No, nothing!” Hinata says quickly. “Since you went through all this trouble to help me look for the shelter, we definitely have to find it, don’t we?”

“Yeah, definitely,” Oikawa echoes, willing his heart not to break.

Their day out and about in the city passes by entirely too quickly for Oikawa’s liking. After years of measuring out his days with coffee spoons, Oikawa experienced more life in a single day in Tokyo with Hinata than in all his years behind the repair shop counter.

They share a bed in order to save on hotel fees, and Oikawa falls asleep with a heavy heart and a catboy curled up against his chest. 

“Thanks for everything, Oikawa-san!” Hinata says cheerily when they’re on the bus to the Ota Ward, where the hybrid shelter is located. He wraps his small hand around Oikawa’s thumb and squeezes it. 

“You’re welcome, Shouyou-chan. But you know what, I should be the one thanking you."

"Why would you thank me?" Hinata asks, wrinkling his nose. "That's silly, I didn't do anything except steal your tomatoes and make a mess."

"Well, you..." Oikawa pauses, wondering how he could possibly express to Hinata how important the past few days have been to him. He hardly even understands it himself. 

"There's our stop, Oikawa-san!"

"Yeah," Oikawa breathes. "There it is."

With the help of maps and directions from city dwellers, they finally find themselves at the address of the hybrid shelter. There are no signs above the doorway, but the building number is the same as the one Oikawa has scrawled on a scrap of paper. 

"Is this it?" Hinata asks doubtfully. 

"It has to be," Oikawa says, unfolding the wrinkled note he had held tightly onto all day. The ink is smeared from all the times he had crumpled the note in his fist. 

"Maybe it's upstairs. We should go inside to check," Hinata suggests, but he makes no move to touch the handle of the door in front of him. He feels a prickly sensation just behind his eyes, like he's about to cry. 

"Shouyou, wait," Oikawa says, grabbing onto Hinata's hand. "You don't have to–I mean, you can stay with me. If you want. You don't have to go to the shelter if you think you'd be okay with living in my home, with me."

"R-really?" Hinata asks incredulously, his eyes brimming with tears. He blinks, and a few tears spill out, but Oikawa catches them with his thumbs. 

"Of course," Oikawa says warmly. He presses a kiss to Hinata's forehead and murmurs, "Don't cry, Shouyou-chan. Let's play in Tokyo for the rest of the day, and then we can head back home."

"Home?"

"Yeah. Home."

A wrinkly scrap of paper flutters to the ground as small, slender fingers slip between Oikawa's, and they turn around, leaving the abandoned building behind them.

**Author's Note:**

> autocorrect kept changing shouyou-chan to shouyou-chanyeol imf ucikgn dyign


End file.
